Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization in India

The economy of India had undergone significant policy shifts in the beginning of the 1990s. This new model of economic reforms is commonly known as the LPG or Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation model. The primary objective of this model was to make the economy of India the fastest developing economy in the globe with capabilities that help it match up with the biggest economies of the world.

The chain of reforms that took place with regards to business, manufacturing, and financial services industries targeted at lifting the economy of the country to a more proficient level. These economic reforms had influenced the overall economic growth of the country in a significant manner.

Liberalisation
Liberalisation refers to the slackening of government regulations. The economic liberalisation in India denotes the continuing financial reforms which began since July 24, 1991.

Privatisation and Globalisation
Privatisation refers to the participation of private entities in businesses and services and transfer of ownership from the public sector (or government) to the private sector as well. Globalisation stands for the consolidation of the various economies of the world.

LPG and the Economic Reform Policy of India
Following its freedom on August 15, 1947, the Republic of India stuck to socialistic economic strategies. In the 1980s, Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, started a number of economic restructuring measures. In 1991, the country experienced a balance of payments dilemma following the Gulf War and the downfall of the erstwhile Soviet Union. The country had to make a deposit of 47 tons of gold to the Bank of England and 20 tons to the Union Bank of Switzerland. This was necessary under a recovery pact with the IMF or International Monetary Fund. Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund necessitated India to assume a sequence of systematic economic reorganisations. Consequently, the then Prime Minister of the country, P V Narasimha Rao initiated groundbreaking economic reforms. However, the Committee formed by Narasimha Rao did not put into operation a number of reforms which the International Monetary Fund looked for.

Dr Manmohan Singh, the present Prime Minister of India, was then the Finance Minister of the Government of India. He assisted. Narasimha Rao and played a key role in implementing these reform policies.

Narasimha Rao Committee's Recommendations
The recommendations of the Narasimha Rao Committee were as follows:

Bringing in the Security Regulations (Modified) and the SEBI Act of 1992 which rendered the legitimate power to the Securities Exchange Board of India to record and control all the mediators in the capital market.

Doing away with the Controller of Capital matters in 1992 that determined the rates and number of stocks that companies were supposed to issue in the market.

Launching of the National Stock Exchange in 1994 in the form of a computerised share buying and selling system which acted as a tool to influence the restructuring of the other stock exchanges in the country. By the year 1996, the National Stock Exchange surfaced as the biggest stock exchange in India.

In 1992, the equity markets of the country were made available for investment through overseas corporate investors. The companies were allowed to raise funds from overseas markets through issuance of GDRs or Global Depository Receipts.

Promoting FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) by means of raising the highest cap on the contribution of international capital in business ventures or partnerships to 51 per cent from 40 per cent. In high priority industries, 100 per cent international equity was allowed.

Cutting down duties from a mean level of 85 per cent to 25 per cent, and withdrawing quantitative regulations. The rupee or the official Indian currency was turned into an exchangeable currency on trading account.

Reorganisation of the methods for sanction of FDI in 35 sectors. The boundaries for international investment and involvement were demarcated.

The outcome of these reorganisations can be estimated by the fact that the overall amount of overseas investment (comprising portfolio investment, FDI, and investment collected from overseas equity capital markets ) rose to $5.3 billion in 1995-1996 in the country) from a microscopic US $132 million in 1991-1992. Narasimha Rao started industrial guideline changes with the production zones. He did away with the License Raj, leaving just 18 sectors which required licensing. Control on industries was moderated.

Highlights of the LPG Policy
Given below are the salient highlights of the Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation Policy in India: